Improvement in apparatus for charging siphon-bottles



W. P. CLARK. Improvement in Apparatus for Charging Siphon-Bottles.

No. 129,002. Patented Ju|y16,r1872.

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WILLIAM I). CLARK, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 129,002, dated July 16, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAn P. CLARK, of Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Charging Siphon-Bottles; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

In putting up soda-water it is now customary, to some extent, to charge what are known as Siphon-bottles, by means of which bottles the aerated liquid may be sold for use in dwellin g-houses, as well as dispensed directly from the fountains in places where soda-water beverages are sold. My invention relates to an improvement in charging such Siphon-bottles from fountains. A siphon-bottle is made with a screw-threaded metal neck, upon which screws a metal cap, which, in being screwed down against the top of the bottle, is thereby packed. This cap has a central outlet-orifice communicating with a discharge pipe or tube,

. which extends out laterally and 'then downward from the cap-neck, and the orifice is controlled by a valve, which is pressed upward against and under the orifice by a strong spring, the valve being attached to a vertical spindle by downward pressure, upon the top of which the valve is opened to make communication between the valve-openin g and. the dischargetube. Encircling the valve is the mouth-piece of a glass tube, extending nearly to the bottom of the interior of the bottle, said mouthpiece having a flange, under which is a rubber washer, which is packed against the under side of the cap by the screw-threaded neck of the bottle. In charging such a bottle it is inverted and the valve opened, and a connection is made of the discharge-tube of the bottlc and a cock connected with the fountain, the cock being' opened and the impregnated water owing through the tube and valve up through the glass tube over into the bottle, and as the bottle fills and compresses the air, which has no chance to escape, the pressure of the gas-impregnated liquid and the pressure of the air become equal. The cock is then closed, and in closing opens an air-passage that allows the air to escape, the air being at the top of the inverted bottle and iiowing out freely.- The air-passage is then closed and the fountain-passage opened, and the charged water aga-in iiows into the bottle, and so on until the bottle is filled. In my invention I support the inverted bottle in the upper part of a stand upon a concave plate between said of the bottle to be rmly grasped between the plate and transfer-cock, but also pushes in the valve-stem and opens the valve of the bottle. The plate is on the top of a vertical shaft, which the spring surrounds, and this shaft slides in suitable bearings, and is connected.v

at bottom with a knee-piece or a pedal by downward pressure, upon which the plate is depressed to introduce or remove a bottle, while by release ofthe pedal, after a bottle has been placed in position to be lled, the stress of the spring forces up the plate and causes the bottle to be grasped and held in position, the bottle Abeing thus normally held in position by the stress of the spring. The body of the transfer-cock stands in horizontal position, and at one end it has a screw-thread, by which connection is made with the pipe from the fountain, and by slightly turning a horizontal valve-spindle of the cock the valve of the cock is so opened as to permit its passage of the soda-water from the fountain through the cock, and out of the cock into and through the glass tube ofA the bottle and over the tube into the body of the bottle, iilling up which, until the pressure of the air arrests further iiow, the valve-spindle is turned a little more, byv which turning communication with the fountain is cut off, and communica` tion between the bottle and the atmosphere ris opened.

The features thus generally explained, and

the combination with the apparatus of a peculiar system of valves or cocks, by which,

with )he same connections, bottles may be charged from different fountains containing different kinds of aerated water, constitute my invention.

The drawing represents an apparatus embodying the invention.

A shows a front view ot' the stand, bottle, and transfencock. Bis a vertical central section of the same. C is a longitudinal sect-ion of the transfer-cock.

a denotes the stand, having crossbars bin which moves the vertical shaft c, said shaft resting at its front upon an arm projecting from a pedal or knee-piece, d, and havingat its top the concave plate e, the plate being pressed up by the stress of the spring f, and being lowered or dropped by the application of the foot to the pedal d. In the center of the plate e is a socket. g, for receiving the valve-stem h and the reversed top of the neck i of the bottle la. The neck c' extends from the cap Z, said cap being nut-threaded and screwing upon the metal ring m that is fixed around the neck at the top of the bottle. From the cap l or its neck extends the discharge-tube n, said tube extending horizontally and then inclining downward, and in line with the center of the cap is the glass tube o, extending into and nearly to the bottom of the bottle, said tube having a valve-tube, p, at its upper end, which valve-tube is packed against the under surface of the cap by a rubber or other packing-ring, q, compressed between the cap and flange on the valve-tube and the top of the bottle. Within this valve-tube plays the valve r, the seat of which is the under side of the cap, immediately over the top of the valvetube, the valve controlling communication between the valve-tube and the neck c' and outlet-tube n. The valve is held against its seat mby the stress of a spring, s, and is pressed down to open the valve-passage by pressure upon the head of the valve-stem h or by pressure upon a finger-lever, u.

The bottle being empty and ready to be charged, it is inverted, the knee piece d or a pedal beneath is pressed down, the stem-cap is held over the center of the recess, and the dischargetube, held in vertical, position, is inserted into the mouth or opening t of the transfer-cock w, the pedal being then released, and the stress of the spring j' causing the bottle by its cup to be grped firmly between the cock w andthe plate e, theinvertedbottle standing in the inclined position shown in the drawing, partially surrounded by a metal hood, w, to protect the person in case of bursting, the hood having an eye or opening, y, through which the charging may be observed, said opening being preferably covered with wiregauze for protection. The cock w stands upon and is confined to a stationary cap-plate, z, the outlettnbe a2 passing through the plate. In griping the bottle-cap, the stress of the spring opens the valve, and communication is thus establishedbetween the bottle and the cock w, andthe end a2 of the cock being connected to the fountain-cock, and the cock w being then opened, the charged water will rush through the cock w, through the valve-tube p by the valve 1', through and over the glass tube o into the body of the bottle until the pressure of the air in the bottle compressed by the charged water equals the pressure of the water, when the water will cease to ow. The air in the bottle is at the top, t. e., at the invertedbottom, in free communication with the open end of the glass tube, and, when the tlow of water ceases, the plug or valve of the cock is turned, so as to shut ott communication between the fountain and the bottle and open communication between the bottle and the atmosphere so as to let on' the compressed air, after which the cock, plug, or valve is again turned to its former position and the charging of the bottle is inished, the cock for this pur- Apose being made as follows: b2 denotes the chamber of the cock. Between the inlet-tube c2 thereof and the outlet-opening a2 is a valveseat ring or flan ge, d2, on the inlet side of which is a valve, e2, pressed against the ring by a spring, f2, said valve having a pin, g2, extending from it, which pin fits the ring, but is made square or otherwise, so that there are free passages h2 at its sides for low of aerated water into the eduction end of the chamber when the valve is open, and from said chamber out through the outlet-tube into the bottle. In the eduction end 'of the chamber is another valve, i2, which fits against the adjacent side of the valve-seat ring and closes the passage through the ring. This valve is on the end of a stem, k2, that passes through the cap l2 at the end of the cock, and has fastened to its end the handle m2, and the valve is peripherally screw-threaded, and runsin aunt-thread at the side of the chamber, so that by turning the handle the valve retreats from the valveseat and opens the passage through the same. The valve has projecting centrally from 1t a pin, j, that extends through the valve-seat into a recess in the pin g2, and when theI valve i2 is against its seat the pin j will hold the valve e2 away from its seat at the other side of the ring. Through the stem k2, its entire length, runs a small central passage, n2. The valve being closed, and a bottle being coupled to the cock to be charged, the stem 7t-z is slightly turned,thereby drawing the valve i2 away from thevalveseat. Thesoda-watertheniiowsfrom the fountain into the cock by the passage h2, out through the reduction-orifice c and into the bottle. When the flow of water ceases the valve-stem is still further turned, permitting the spring fz to force the valve e2 up against the valve-seat d2, thereby cutting off commu- .nication with the fountain, and when the valve is thus arrested the valve i2 will leave the end of the recessed pin g2, establishing a free communication with the eduction end of the valvechamber and the stem-passage n2, and the air in the bottle will then be pressed out through the tube-chamber o2 and stempassage n2, and after the air is exhausted from the bottle the stem is turned back until the valve l2 or pinvj strikes the pin g2, and the valve c2 is pressed from its seat, and the charged water will then again flow into and fill the bottle. The plate e is made saucer-shaped to catch any drippin gs, and, by means of an outlet, p2, such drippings may be led olf into any convenient receptacle, the apparatus being particularly designed for use in the stores of apothecaries, and other similar places where soda-water beverages are dispensed, and it being desirable to make it as cleanly as possible.

With the apparatus I sometimes use apeculiar couplin g mechanism, by which different kinds of aerated water may be drawn from different fountains through the same pipe and cock. This mechanism is as follows: g2 denotes the pipe leading to the bottle-charging cock. Three or any other suitable number of tubes, r2 s2 t2, lead respectively from, or may be connected with separate fountains, which may be supposed to be charged with the different kinds of aerated water-as common sodawater, Vichy, Kissingen, for instance-each tube leading into the pipe g3 through a valvecase, u2 c2 w2,each valve-case having a valveseat, 4t2, against which a valve, y2, is forced by a screw-threaded spindle, z2, working in a nutthread in a neck, a3. The pipe g3 leads into one side of each valve-chamber and out at the other, over or outside of the valve y2, and thus when either valve is open the closed position of the other valves does not interfere with the free passage of the liquid through the pipe and through the valve-chambers, over the valves into and through the main pipe to the cock w and the bottle to be charged. The valve-stem of each valve runs into a tube, b3, at the foot of the valve-spindle, and when either spindle is turned back the force of the charged water in the fountain presses open the valve, and the water passes by it into the Valvechamber and through the pipe g3, and the several valve-chambers, over the valves through the pipe q2 into and through the cock to the bottle. Y

It will be obvious that by this construction the aerated water may be drawn from either fountain without disturbing, or bein g disturbed by, the contents of either other fountain'.

In using the apparatus the plate e may be depressed by applying the hand to a projecting arm, c3, or the knee to a knee piece, d, if the apparatus be below the counter, but if above the counter a rod, d3, may connect the knee-pedal to a stirrup, e3, to be depressed by the foot.

In the mechanism for enabling bottles to be charged with aerated water from different fountains, the pipes r2 s2 t2 leading to the fountains are preferabl y made with continuations leading to the dispensing apparatus.

To graduate the stress of the spring f, the rod c may be provided with a clasp, f3, against which the upward stress of the spring is eX- erted, this clasp being conned to the rod by means of a screw, g3, actin g upon the split arms` of the clasp. By loosing the screw the'clasp may be moved up or down on the rod, thereby decreasing or increasin gthe stress ofthe spring.

I claim- 1. The transfer-cock constructed and operating as described, and as shown in Figure C- that is, with the valves arranged to open communication between the fountain and the bottle, and to shut off such communication be-v' tain to the pipe.

4. The adjustable clamp f3 xed to the rod c, and regulating the stress of the spring by its position, substantially as described.

WM. P. CLARK. Witnesses:

FRANCIS GoULD M. W. FROTHINGHAM. 

